Highway-track.



F. J. HARDECKER.

HIGHWAY TRACK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15, 1915.

1;,167A95. Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

FRANK J'. HARDECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HIGHWAY-TRACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 11., 1916.

' Application filed October 15, 1915. Serial No. 55,948.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK J. T-IARDECKER, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of New York, county of Kings, State of New York, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Highway- Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to highway tracks, to serve as an improvement for country roads.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap and efficient track for vehicles on highways without the necessity of paving the whole width of the roadway.

A further object of the invention is to prevent the formation of wheel ruts in the highway and provide a soft path for the hoofs of the draft animals.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangements of parts and method of construction, hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure I is a part of one path of the track. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of Fig. I, in which the portion indicated by the line A-A of Fig. I is cut away, and the stem of one of the piles is broken away its position being indicated by dash and dot lines. Fig. III. is a transverse section through a highway, equipped with my highway tracks.

Similar letters of referencesignifv corresponding parts throughout the various figures.

Referring to Fig. I. of the drawings 1 represents a continuous beam of cement concrete, extending over a number of supports 6 and 7. The beam 1 is preferably of rectangular cross-section and its thickness may vary according to the character of the traiiic on the road for which the track is intended, and the amount of reinforcement used in the beam. The width of the beam is such, that the wheel of a vehicle may be accommodated thereon. The vertical surfaces of sides 2 of the beam are corrugated in such a.

manner that a valley 9* on one side of the beam is opposite a hill 2 on the other side of the beam. The beam 1 is supported at intervals on piles 6 and of concrete or other suitable material. These piles may be connected to the beam in several Ways according to the method of construction adopted for building the highway track.

A method of constructing my highway track, by forming the beam in molds as single slabs and building the piles in the ground, through apertures in these slabs I have made the subject of a previous application for Letters Patent filed April 20, 1915 Ser. No. 22539. The same result can be cbtained by the methods of construction hereinafter described. The piles may be cast in one piece with the beam as shown at pile 6 to form a monolithic structure or they may be formed in molds as separate pieces and connected to the beam in suitable man ner as shown by the upper part or head 3 of pile 7.

The head is preferably made of cylindrical shape and extends vertically into the beam as shown at 3 or through the same as 3% The mantle surface of heads 3 and 3 are provided with annular widenings 4e and 4 which lock the pile to the beam. The form of these piles may be varied, piles 6 are intended to anchor the track to the ground, they are preferably widened near their base to form the anchor part 6"; the annular ring (i near the lower surface of beam 1 is intended to provide additional support to the latter while the vertical reinforcing rod 8 adds to the shearing strength between beam and pile. The piles 7 serve principally to support the beam, and are preferably made of conical shape. tapering toward their lower end, and provided with the annular ring 7 at the lower surface of beam 1. At suitable intervals the beam is provided with expansion joints 5 and a pile may be placed at these points, but if circumstances do not permit. the two adjoining beams may be connected by a pile-head, one half of which is embedded in each of the two beams and whose annular ring 45 provides means to hold the two ends of the adioining beams in alinement. as shown at joint 5.

To provide a highway track two trenches are dug lengthwise in the surface of the highwav, parallel to each other so that the center distance between the trenches equals the average wheel gage of vehicles, the sides of each trench are lined with a suitable mold of waved cross-section, at the bottom of each trench at suitable intervals, holes are dug vertically into the ground and by a suitable tool the inner surface of these holes is given the shape of a pile to form a mold for the latter. At suitable places where a joint between beams is to be made, a previously molded pile is placed into this hole, its head protruding into the trench; the dividing plane of the joint is formed by placing a piece of sheet metal into this plane, which has an opening to accommodate the pile head. The whole trench inclusive of the holes in the ground is then filled with concrete an'd'the' upper surface is leveled with the surface of the highway; in this manner a monolithic structure is formed. It is evident that a previously molded pile may be placed in any of the holes dug into the ground and the beam be cast around the head of such pile, in which case the head will act as a core for an aperturein the beams If desired the beam may be reinforced by steel rods in the usual manner. In Fig. 11-1 across section through both paths of the track is shown, the curved line-9 indicates the surface of the highway.

In practice this highway track has many advantages, especially for roads with light traiiic, which on account of the cost of grading and paving the whole width of theroad way generally remain unimproved, this track provides means to greatly improve the roadway at small expense. The pilesserve the purpose of supporting the beam,.anchoring it against upheaval and at expansion joints the pile head serves to aline the'two adj oining' beams.

by running onthemgive a warning tothe driver.

While the" principal object of the' invention is to provide a track for the wheels of vehicles, it is evident that the. whole Width of 'a roadway may be paved with these tracks, or the width of each path be increased to more than one beam,withclose longitudinal seams, the hills of one beam would interlock with the valleys of the adjacentbeam.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1; A highway track comprising'a runway The piles will hold the beam in its proper position at the desired grade although the roadway may nothe. on

for the wheels of vehicles, said runway consisting of a row of beams embedded in the roadway, piles built into the ground at intervals; under said beam the heads of said piles being incased by the body of said beams.

2. A track construction comprising a series of piles or pegs built into the ground of a roadway forming a row in the longitudinal direction thereof'and a beam or slab embracing the upper ends: of a number of said' piles, the top of the surface of said beam to provide a runway for the wheels of vehicles;

3". A tracli construction for roadways comprising a row of piles" built into the ground of a highway in its longitudinal direction a beam embracing the upper ends of said piles and means'to anchor said piles to said beam.

-l-. A track construction for roadways comprising two parallel runways for the wheels of a vehicle, consisting of a row of piles built into the ground of the highway in its longitudinal direction, a series of beams encircling theupper ends of a number of piles of each row, and means to aline said beams at their joints horizontally and vertically.

5. A track constructionfor roadways comprising arow of piljes arranged in the longi tudinal direction of'saidroadway and a continuous beam embedded into the surface of said. roadway integrally connected to the upper ends of said piles the upper surface of said beam forming" arunway' for the wheels ofavehicle.

6.. A highway track comprsing a seriesof continuousbeams embedded into the surface of a roadway to form a" runway forthe wheels of vehicles, means integrally connected .with1 the" body-part of said beams and extending; into the ground below to'. secure the beams against lateral displacement.

7. A highway'tra'ck' comprising a rowof" beams embedtledinto the surface of a roadway'to form a" runway for the wheels of a vehicle, means integrally connected to the body of said beams to secure said beams against lateral displacement and" means at the joints of the b'eams toholdihem inalinement.

FRANK J. HARDECKEK Oopieaofthispatent may be obtainedfor five-cents each, byaddressingithe Commissioner of laten-ta;

Washington. D. C. 

